You’re driving through the Permian Basin, squinting against that relentless West Texas sun, and you see it. It looks like a standard regional airport. There are Southwest 737s idling on the tarmac and a United Express jet taxiing toward a gate. But look closer. Between the oil rigs and the scrub brush, there’s a sign that says "Space Port." It’s not a joke. Midland Air and Space Port is actually the first primary commercial service airport in the United States to coincide with a spaceport license from the FAA.
That happened back in 2014. People thought it was crazy then. Some people still do.
Honestly, it’s a weird marriage. On one hand, you have thousands of business travelers flying in to manage the world's most productive oil field. On the other, you have engineers trying to figure out how to launch vehicles into suborbital flight. It is a strange, dusty, high-tech paradox.
The Secret Life of MAF
Most locals just call it MAF. That’s the airport code. If you’ve flown into Midland, you’ve sat in the terminal, maybe grabbed a quick coffee, and headed straight for a rental car. But the "Space Port" part of the name isn't just for show. It represents a massive bet on the future of aerospace.
Back in the early 2010s, the City of Midland decided they didn't want to just be the "Oil Capital." They wanted to diversify. They saw what was happening with private space flight and realized they had a few things going for them: clear skies, wide-open spaces, and a local economy that knows how to handle heavy industrial engineering. They spent millions. They built the Spaceport Business Park. They even lured a few big names out to the desert.
It wasn't all smooth sailing. XCOR Aerospace was the big fish. They were building the Lynx, a two-seat suborbital spaceplane that looked like something out of a 1950s sci-fi comic. They moved their headquarters from California to Midland. There were press releases. There was hype. Then, in 2017, XCOR filed for bankruptcy.
It was a gut punch. A lot of critics said, "See? We told you so." But Midland didn't fold.
Why the Location Actually Works
Geography is destiny in the aerospace world. Midland sits under the Permian Basin, but more importantly, it sits under a massive amount of "uncongested" airspace. If you try to launch a rocket near LAX or JFK, you’re going to have a bad time. In West Texas? You have room to breathe.
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The airport itself is massive. It covers 3,300 acres. It has three runways, one of which is 9,502 feet long. That’s long enough to land almost anything. It’s also situated at an elevation of 2,871 feet, which gives you a tiny, tiny head start on getting to space. Every little bit counts.
The ASTURA and New Neighbors
After XCOR went bust, the spaceport had to pivot. It’s not just about one company anymore. It’s about the infrastructure. Today, the Midland Air and Space Port is home to different types of tech.
AST SpaceMobile is a big one. They aren't launching rockets from the runway every Tuesday, but they are building massive satellites. They’re working on a space-based cellular broadband network. Basically, they want your phone to work even when you’re in the middle of the ocean or the Sahara. They’ve taken over the old XCOR hangar space. They have clean rooms. They have engineers scurrying around. It’s a real, functioning hub of aerospace manufacturing.
Then there’s Kepler Aerospace. They’re working on satellite technology and propulsion systems. It’s a different vibe than the "space tourism" dreams of a decade ago. It’s more practical. It’s more industrial. It feels more... Midland.
The Business of Being a Spaceport
Running a spaceport isn't cheap. The FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST) has strict rules. You need specific safety protocols. You need to make sure a departing rocket doesn't accidentally clip a Southwest flight headed to Dallas.
Midland’s license is for "horizontal" launches. This is a key distinction.
- Vertical Launch: Think SpaceX or NASA. A rocket sitting on a pad that goes straight up. You won't see that here.
- Horizontal Launch: Think of a plane carrying a rocket, or a spaceplane like the Virgin Galactic ships. They take off from a runway like a normal airplane, fly to a certain altitude, and then "drop" or ignite their engines.
This is why being a dual-use facility is so smart. You don't need a specialized launch pad that sits empty 360 days a year. You use the runways you already have.
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The Critics and the Reality Check
We have to be real here. Some people in Midland think the whole thing was a boondoggle. They look at the millions of dollars in incentives given to companies that eventually left and they shake their heads. It’s a valid point. Economic development is always a gamble, and space is the biggest gamble of all.
But if you look at the tax base and the jobs created by companies like AST SpaceMobile, the math starts to look a bit better. You’re bringing in high-paying engineering jobs to a region that historically lives and dies by the price of a barrel of crude oil.
When oil prices tank, Midland hurts. Diversification isn't just a buzzword here; it’s a survival strategy.
What Travelers Need to Know
If you’re just a regular person flying through MAF, the "space" part of the airport won't affect your travel much. You’ll still check your bags at the same counters. You’ll still wait at the same gates.
But you might notice the displays. There’s a lot of pride in the terminal about the spaceport status. You’re standing in a piece of aviation history, even if it feels like a quiet Tuesday morning.
The airport services four major airlines:
- Southwest (The king of MAF, mostly going to Dallas Love Field and Houston Hobby).
- American Eagle (Connecting you to DFW and Phoenix).
- United Express (Heading to Houston Intercontinental and Denver).
- Delta Connection (Connecting through Salt Lake City).
It’s efficient. You can get from the curb to your gate in about ten minutes if the TSA lines are kind. That’s the beauty of a regional airport that dreams of being a spaceport. It’s still small enough to be convenient.
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The Future: What’s Next for Midland?
The next few years are going to be interesting. As the commercial space industry matures, the demand for horizontal launch sites is expected to grow. Not everything needs a massive vertical rocket. Small satellites, microgravity research, and high-speed point-to-point travel (think London to Sydney in two hours) all benefit from facilities like Midland.
There’s also the "Innovation Corridor" idea. By linking the research being done at UT Permian Basin with the facilities at the Space Port, Midland is trying to create a self-sustaining ecosystem. It’s about building a workforce that knows how to handle carbon fiber just as well as they know how to handle a drill bit.
A Quick Reality Check on "Space Tourism"
Don't book your tickets to orbit from Midland just yet. While the license exists, we are still a ways off from regular passenger spaceflights departing from West Texas. Most of that activity is currently centered at Spaceport America in New Mexico or the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Midland is positioning itself as the "industrial park" of space. It’s where the parts are made, where the testing happens, and where the satellites are built. It’s less "glamour" and more "gears."
Actionable Insights for Visitors and Businesses
If you’re heading to the Midland Air and Space Port, here is how to make the most of it:
- For Travelers: Arrive 90 minutes early. Yes, it’s a small airport, but the oil industry brings in a lot of people, and security lines can surprise you during shift changes in the oil fields.
- For Tech Enthusiasts: Keep an eye on the hangars on the north side of the field. That’s where the action is. While you can't just walk in, the Spaceport Business Park is accessible by road, and you can see the scale of the facilities from the perimeter.
- For Businesses: Look into the incentives offered by the Midland Development Corporation. They are still very much in the business of attracting aerospace and high-tech manufacturing.
- For History Buffs: Visit the High Sky Wing of the Commemorative Air Force which is located right nearby. It provides the perfect context for how West Texas went from World War II pilot training to the space age.
Midland Air and Space Port isn't just an airport with a fancy name. It’s a testament to West Texas ambition. It’s the belief that a patch of dirt in the middle of nowhere can be a gateway to the stars. Whether it fully realizes that dream or remains a very busy regional airport with some cool neighbors, it’s worth paying attention to.
Next time you’re landing there, look out the window. You aren't just looking at oil country. You’re looking at a launchpad for whatever comes next.